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Who has spare time and can build a website? I’ve got a project for you: start tracking poor reporting by reporter.

Here’s the basic scheme. Every reporter starts out with 100 points and is recognized as a “Reporter”.
– Everytime a reporter uses “many people”, “some people”, or “few people” as a source of information, they lose a point.
– Everytime a reporter draws a conclusion from scientific research that is directly opposed to the conclusion that the researcher drew, they lose a point.
– If a reporter assembles information from various sources and reveals new, previously unknown, verifiable conclusions, they earn a point.

@JakeL: I guess we can simply label anyone with negative points as “illiterate”. I know that comparng illiterate people to bad reporters is insulting to people who can’t read, but I can’t come upw ith a better idea.

@Amanda: I would be concerned that a Skepchick drinking game that allowed people to drink when reporters were incompetent would lead to alcohol poisoning. If we did the opposite – and we drank when reporters did something good – I’m afraid that we would be in real danger of sobriety.

As a denizen of Southeastern Michigan, I feel it is my responsibility to apologize to the world for the stupidity of our local news sources, the general gullibility of the local population, and the globally understood uselessness of our professional football team. Oh! And the Ford Pinto. Sorry about that.